I'm an unlucky Kimber Montana owner. My only one, an early .260 Rem with finally tuned handloads would print 3-4" groups, other loads could barely be kept on an 8.5×11" sheet of paper at 100 yds. It's at GEF now getting a new barrel.
Kimber no longer imported.
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
pete dobinson
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Courtenay BC.
After the break in period was complete, the first 3 shot group with reloads was 3/4", the second group all 3 bullets were touching. Thats from my Kimber 84L MA a rifle that weighs a mere 5lb 3oz.
I've got 5 Kimbers. The first was a Varmint in 22/250 that's old enough to have a 2 position safety, and although it was pillared it wasn't bedded. The goal there was to find a coyote gun that shot like a heavy barrel and carried like a sporter. No problem pulling that off, it shoots everything well.
My 338 Win Mag Classic is hunting accurate, but picky about loads. Got my first grizzly with it in SE Alaska, a moose or so and some lesser animals. Maybe I'll go back and revisit loads someday, but you know, more rifles than I can shoot and all that.
My Select Grade 7 Rem had me wondering for a short while. The first several load development sessions had me thinking that it liked its loads on the light side of the scale because it always started the day great and sort of fell apart after that. While I could recognize a pattern it took a bit before it occurred to me that while I was starting each session with light loads I was also starting each day with a stripped down to bare metal bore. Bringing my Dewey rod and some no nonsense copper solvent to the range solved that little mystery, it shot everything but wanted to be clean. You get the odd barrel like that, although I've usually found the opposite. On the advice of Crazy Davey I tried Dyna bore coat, and now it just keeps chugging away no matter how many rounds are through it. It likes 160 and 150 Accubonds and 150 Ballistic Tips.
My Montana 270 WSM was OK; though not great. I put a dab of Devcon and some forend pressure on that carbon fiber stock and it got happy in a hurry. Shoot it out to 700 all the time with 130 Ballistic Tips and Accubonds. The kids used to call it my helium gun because when they asked why it was so light I told them I'd pumped the stock full of helium. You can trick a kid.
My 300 WSM Select Grade surprised me. I bore-sighted it, then popped 3 starting loads into the same hole at 100. The kind of hole that you have to stare at to see that it wasn't completely round. Moving up in charges it quickly showed pressure signs, so I chronographed the first loads and found that the speed was there. I was done before I ever got started, which was sort of boring. Sometimes you want the romance in the getting to know you stage.
My 338 Win Mag Classic is hunting accurate, but picky about loads. Got my first grizzly with it in SE Alaska, a moose or so and some lesser animals. Maybe I'll go back and revisit loads someday, but you know, more rifles than I can shoot and all that.
My Select Grade 7 Rem had me wondering for a short while. The first several load development sessions had me thinking that it liked its loads on the light side of the scale because it always started the day great and sort of fell apart after that. While I could recognize a pattern it took a bit before it occurred to me that while I was starting each session with light loads I was also starting each day with a stripped down to bare metal bore. Bringing my Dewey rod and some no nonsense copper solvent to the range solved that little mystery, it shot everything but wanted to be clean. You get the odd barrel like that, although I've usually found the opposite. On the advice of Crazy Davey I tried Dyna bore coat, and now it just keeps chugging away no matter how many rounds are through it. It likes 160 and 150 Accubonds and 150 Ballistic Tips.
My Montana 270 WSM was OK; though not great. I put a dab of Devcon and some forend pressure on that carbon fiber stock and it got happy in a hurry. Shoot it out to 700 all the time with 130 Ballistic Tips and Accubonds. The kids used to call it my helium gun because when they asked why it was so light I told them I'd pumped the stock full of helium. You can trick a kid.
My 300 WSM Select Grade surprised me. I bore-sighted it, then popped 3 starting loads into the same hole at 100. The kind of hole that you have to stare at to see that it wasn't completely round. Moving up in charges it quickly showed pressure signs, so I chronographed the first loads and found that the speed was there. I was done before I ever got started, which was sort of boring. Sometimes you want the romance in the getting to know you stage.
Well I just got a new to me kimber for my kids to use and hunt with.
Kimber Classic Select in 260AI
From a fellow CGN'r
Got it in the mail last night, beautiful stock, and very light. I wanted a light rifle, that was in a smaller caliber for my kids to hunt with, I didn't want a piece of crap rifle that they would just grow out of and not care about. This thing can last a lifetime.
Cleaned it, the bore was very dirty, and got a 3.5-10x44 ziess mounted, and loaded a few rounds to fire form, with Lapua brass, and 140gr Speer grandslams.
This only needs to be hunting accurate, and if it is that, then I am fine, if it shoots terrible, well I will spin on a new benchmark barrel and call it a day.
I have had a lot of Kimbers in the past and still have several, and all have shot well. So I have never had a issue with one, and they cost alot less than my customs, and most are lighter.
I like my Chirstensen Arms Ridgeline FFT better than my montanas, but not by much.
I only regret selling one rifle, and that was a classic select in 25-06 in a weak moment I let it go, and still kick myself about that one.
Kimber Classic Select in 260AI
From a fellow CGN'r
Got it in the mail last night, beautiful stock, and very light. I wanted a light rifle, that was in a smaller caliber for my kids to hunt with, I didn't want a piece of crap rifle that they would just grow out of and not care about. This thing can last a lifetime.
Cleaned it, the bore was very dirty, and got a 3.5-10x44 ziess mounted, and loaded a few rounds to fire form, with Lapua brass, and 140gr Speer grandslams.
This only needs to be hunting accurate, and if it is that, then I am fine, if it shoots terrible, well I will spin on a new benchmark barrel and call it a day.
I have had a lot of Kimbers in the past and still have several, and all have shot well. So I have never had a issue with one, and they cost alot less than my customs, and most are lighter.
I like my Chirstensen Arms Ridgeline FFT better than my montanas, but not by much.
I only regret selling one rifle, and that was a classic select in 25-06 in a weak moment I let it go, and still kick myself about that one.
Hi hawk-i, if you don't mind me asking, what brake do you have on your Kimbers? ThxYes the Montana is "plenty" light but the Ascent is still about 1/2 a pound lighter.
The advantage to running brakes for me is the fact that in every case my groups show improvement and (a big bonus) I can see my hits or misses... as a result all 3 of my Montana's have brakes at an additional cost to me over the base rifle cost.
The only Kimber I own that doesn't have a brake is my Hunter, if the barrel came threaded it would have one also
YMMV, but for me a brake is a bonus
Ouch. Prophet River has a few Mountain Ascent models for 3.5K
Those new prices are tough. I need to replace the Montana I sold back in 2021. But now the Weatherby hunter is a similar price and more available so that’s what I’m leaning towards. Glad I still have my $1,100 new Kimber hunter from 2017
That would be nice. I wish they would do a lipsey style thing. Sell limited runs of hunters in classic (uncommon) chamberings. They could do that easily for the next decade. Alternate each year with a classic small bore and a medium bore guide gun. I had wait a year to find a takeoff barrel to make a factory looking 6.5x55
